The invention is particularly well suited for individualizing or customizing tires, i.e. the formation of any desired pattern of contrastingly colored indicia in the sidewall of a tire. Presently, indicia such as letters, numerals, or ornamental designs, are molded into the sidewall of the tire, as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,123. A conventional, cylindrically shaped grinding wheel is then used to buff away the outer layer of black rubbery material covering the raised pattern of indicia to expose the contrastingly colored underlayer of rubbery material in which the desired pattern of indicia is also molded. This work is done at the factory where the tire is produced, and the indicia placed on a tire normally represents a trademark associated with the tire, or identifies the type and size of the tire. The owner of a tire is not free to have his or her own personal choice of indicia on the sidewall of a tire, because of the difficulty and expense of molding innumerable designs which would be requested by the consumer. The invention is directed to solving this problem by providing a portable type device which any local tire distributor can use to customize a set of tires for an owner desiring personalized contrasting indicia on the sidewalls of the tires.
Briefly stated, the invention is in a method and apparatus used in the formation of contrastingly colored indicia in the sidewall of a tire. The apparatus is utilized to grind a desired pattern of indicia into the sidewall of a tire and is provided with a support for the tire and wheel rim on which the tire is mounted and inflated. A pattern of indicia, desired to be formed in the sidewall of the tire, is mounted adjacent the tire such that each of the indicia are equally spaced from the center axis of the tire and wheel rim. A stylus for tracing the indicia of the pattern, and a tool for engraving the indicia in the sidewall, are mounted for unitary movement in radial and arcuate directions and any combination thereof, relative to the center axis of the tire and wheel rim, whereby the desired pattern of indicia is ground into the tire as the stylus traces along the pattern.